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USA TODAY Sports' Week 17 NFL predictions

QBs Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler will play for all the marbles Sunday afternoon.(Photo: David J. Phillip, AP)

The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears have met 187 times, the longest-running rivalry in NFL history. (If you're wondering, the Bears own a 93-88-6 advantage.)

But rarely have the stakes been this high.

Three years ago, they squared off in the NFC Championship Game (Green Bay won). But only one other time have these storied franchises met in postseason.

Sunday's contest isn't technically a playoff game, but it may as well be. Whoever wins at Soldier Field wraps up the NFC North title while the vanquished team calls it a season.

Thankfully, both starting quarterbacks will have the opportunity to leave their marks, something they couldn't do in their Nov. 4 matchup when Chicago's Jay Cutler was out with a groin injury while Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers only lasted a series before breaking his collarbone. The strong-armed passers will each face an injury-riddled defense in what could amount to a classic gunslinger showdown.

Unfortunately, a similar scenario is unlikely to materialize in the other do-or-die game of Week 17 — Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys — given the unlikelihood Tony Romo will be able to play with a herniated disc.

Still, our NFL experts are split on both games and many others as the regular season comes to its conclusion: